Kehlani Stands for Palestine in ‘Next 2 U’ Video

When many musicians are remaining silent on the Israel-Hamas war, Kehlani is standing next 2 Palestine. In their new music video for “Next 2 U,� the R&B performer and a troupe of dancers wear keffiyehs on their shoulders and dance in front of Palestinian flags. “They gon’ have to come get me / They gon’ have to see about me / to get next to you,� Kehlani sings, twisting the song’s message to a lover into a statement of defense. (“Next 2 U� is a single off their to-be-announced new album.) The video also opens with an anti-war quote from Palestinian poet Hala Alyan: “Keep your moon / We have our own / Keep your army / We have our name / Keep your flag/ We have fruits and in / All the right colors.� Additionally, it closes with a message about the children killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. “We tried to make a scroll honoring the names of thousands of deceased children,� it reads. “The list was so long that our fastest scroll at 3 minutes was illegible.� Instead, Kehlani is encouraging fans to read the list of names “at your own pace.�